Front crankshaft oil seal

[CJHenderson]

How can you remove the front crankshaft oil seal without breaking the engine case in two?

[Benz Dr.]

Remove everything on the end of the crank and then pry out the old seal. Mark the balancer and crank so they go back together the same way.

[mmizesko]

Mercedes has a special tool to pull out that seal.  It is a few hundred dollars. It save hours of using a chisel to get the old seal out.

Mike

[doitwright]

There is a removable sleeve (aka race) on the end of the crank. This is what actually makes contact with the seal. You have the option to replace or “flip” the race around (if not done previously) so the new seal has a new surface to mate with. Many years ago I posted my solution for a simple homemade tool to remove the race using a piece of 2” PVC pipe and hose clamps. I cut a 4” length of pipe and cut about a 1/2” slot out of the length of the pipe. Slip the pipe over the race and use the hose clamps to tighten the grip of the pipe on the race. Then twist to remove the race.